Appendix 4 High Priority Site Appraisals Heritage Town Planning Ace Mill (Gorse Mill No.2) Physical Characteristics Address: Whitegate Lane, Chadderton, Oldham, Ol9 9RJ Orientation: West/south-west Floor Plan Depth: Upper floors: approx. 41m, Lower floors (1st and 2nd storey): approx. 73m. Floorspace Estimate: 28880sqm No. of floors: Main block has 6 floors with the eastern ele- ments having 2 floors and the sheds to the west appear to be single storey. No. Chimneys: 0 Curtilage facilities: The site has fairly limited curtilage space, with the majority of it being to the north/north-west of the mill which is predominantly used for parking. There is another area of the site to the south that is ac- cessed via Whitegate Lane, although this appears to be used more as a service and storage area. Gorse Mill is to the north/north-east of the site. There are a row of terraced residential properties which front Whitegate Lane to the east of the site. Broadway (A663) is to the south/south/east of the site. There are commercial and industrial buildings to the west/north-west of the site. Planning History: No relevant planning history. Ace Mill (Gorse Mill No.2) Heritage Listed Status: Not listed Conservation Area: Not in a Conservation Area. Proximity to Conservation Area: Not near or adjacent to a Conservation Area. Building at Risk Grade (BAR Report): 6 Industrial Landscape Significance (BAR Report): 3 Statement of Significance Archaeological interest: HER value medium chimney and boiler house demolished. Historical interest: Built prior to 1914. Platts machinery, Urmson & Thompson engine. Used for aircraft manufacture 1914-18, first spun cotton 1919. Architectural interest: Red brick construction six storey, steel and concrete internal structure. Large rec- tangular windows with concrete surrounds. Corner pilasters, restrained embellishments, tower, engine house and rope drive. Setting: Commercial setting, backs onto Costco car park. Group value with Gorse and Ram Mills. Experience: Ace mill contributes to group value with Gorse Mill. Alone it contributes very little. Communal value: Associations with former use and group value with Gorse Mill. Ace Mill (Gorse Mill No.2) Planning Policy Current Designation: The site is situated in a Business Employment Area. SHLAA 2019: Not identified. Other: Affordable Housing Requirement: All residential development of 15 dwellings and above, in line with national guidance, will be required to provide an appropriate level of affordable housing provision. The current target is for 7.5% of the total development sales value to go towards the delivery of affordable housing, unless it can be clearly demonstrated to the council’s satisfaction that this is not viable. This target is based on the findings of the AHEVA, but will be monitored and reviewed over the lifetime of the LDF to ensure that it is still appropriate. Accessibility Services: The site has good access to services, although the majority of services are not in close proxim- ity of the site but are available within 1 mile. Bus Services: There are various bus stops available, which are accessible from the site and provide vari- ous frequent service and routes. Rail Services: The closest train station is Moston, which is only 0.9 mile from the site. Tram Stops: The closest tram stop is South Chadderton, which is approx. 0.8 mile away from the site. Despite both tram and train being near to 1 mile away they are still accessible. Overall, the site performs well in accessibility terms. Ace Mill (Gorse Mill No.2) Viability CIL: Non-adopted Viability Area: VA3 Vacant Building Credit: Building in use, VBC cannot be used. Condition: Good Adaptability: Poor, mainly due to the depth of the building. Ace Mill (Gorse Mill No.2) Other Planning Constraints Trees: There are no TPOs on the site. Ecology: The Rochdale Canal is approx. 240m west/south-west of the site and is identified as a SBI (Site of Biological Importance), SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), a green corridor, as well as a SAC (Special Area of Conservation - SAC EU Code: UK0030266). The site also has a potential to be a habitat for protected species. Flood Risk: The site is situated in flood zone 1, therefore it has a 1 in 1000 annual probability of flooding from fluvial sources. Most of the site is identified as being at low risk of flooding from surface water, although an area adjacent to the south-eastern elevation of the mill is at high risk. PRoW: There are no public rights of way either on or adjacent to the site. Strategy / Action Plan: Ace Mill is currently in active employment use and lies within a designated Business Employment Area. It is therefore expected that the site will be retained in employment use in line with the existing allocation and any proposals that come forward for the refurbishment / repurposing of the building for employment use should be viewed as being acceptable in principle. It is not considered that the site offers potential for new housing development in the short to medium in term in view of its location within an established BEA. It is recommended that the mill is identified as a non-designated heritage asset and the Council should consider removing permitted development rights for the demolition of the buildings by way of an Article 4 Direction in view of the landscape and heritage value of the site. The site has been assessed as being of high value in landscape terms and medium heritage value. Ace Mill has also been identified as forming part of a key mill cluster and any future proposals in relation to the site should be assessed in line with the recommended policy approach for HIGH PRIORITY sites. GORSE STREET Ace Mill 128 142 156 El Sub Sta 2 Shelter 105.6m 168 WHITEGATE LANE LB Ace Mill El Sub Sta Shelter BROADWAY Cycle Path El Sub Sta Ward Bdy 2 Aerials Copyright GeoPerspectives Drawn by: Oldham Council Division: Civic Centre West Street El Sub Sta Drawing no: Oldham Date: 14:04:16 Scale: 1:1000 OL1 1UT L Twr © Crown copyright and database rights [2011] Ordnance Survey licence 0100019668 405 2 Bell Mill Physical Characteristics Address: Claremont Street, Hathershaw, Oldham, OL8 3EJ. Orientation: North Floor Plan Depth: approx. 43m Floorspace Estimate: 20559sqm No. of floors: 5 No. Chimneys: 0 Curtilage facilities: The mill has a fairly large amount of curtilage. There is a service road running around the perimeter of the mill with the main parking area on the south-eastern part of the site. Hathershaw College is to the north of the site, with residential properties to the east. Werneth Golf Club is to the south with sports facilities and playing fields to the west. The main vehicle access to the site is via Claremont Street. Planning History: PA/055578/08 - (1) Erection of new canopy (2) Single storey building forming garage (3) Additional car parking spaces Granted: 24th October 2008 Bell Mill Heritage Listed Status: Not listed Conservation Area: Not in a Conservation Area. Proximity to Conservation Area: Not near or adjacent to a Conservation Area. Building at Risk Grade (BAR Report): 6 Industrial Landscape Significance (BAR Report): 2 Statement of Significance Archaeological interest: HER value low. Historical interest: 1904. Cotton mill associative value with Potts and Son & Hennings. Platts machin- ery. George Saxon engine. Architectural interest: Brick construction, five storeys, steel and concrete internal structure. Rectangu- lar windows in pairs per bay. Terracotta brickwork and pillars to top storey between windows. Lowered tower to north east with staggered windows and arched window with bell symbol to top floor. Engine house, weaving shed, chimney, offices. Setting: Good relationship with terraced housing surrounding. Set back from roadside behind trees to frontage but sits comfortably within setting. Tower and architectural detail adds to integrity. Experience: Good condition and contributes activity to the area with positive impact. Communal value: Associations with former use, visual relationship with terraced housing. In active use. Bell Mill Planning Policy Current Designation: Not designated. The site is adjacent to the Green Belt (which is to the west of the site). SHLAA 2019: Not identified. Other: Affordable Housing Requirement: All residential development of 15 dwellings and above, in line with national guidance, will be required to provide an appropriate level of affordable housing provision. The current target is for 7.5% of the total development sales value to go towards the delivery of affordable housing, unless it can be clearly demonstrated to the council’s satisfaction that this is not viable. This target is based on the findings of the AHEVA, but will be monitored and reviewed over the lifetime of the LDF to ensure that it is still appropriate. Accessibility Services: The site has a good level of access to various services, with a number of services available within 1 mile of the site. Bus Services: The site has very good access to bus services. There are a range of bus routes which oper- ate frequent services and are within close proximity of the site. Rail Services: The closest train station is Ashton-Under-Lyme which is 2.5 miles away. Tram Stops: The nearest tram stop is Oldham King Street, 1.3 miles north. Overall, the site performs relatively well in accessibility terms. Bell Mill Viability CIL: Non-adopted Viability Area: VA5 Vacant Building Credit: Building appears to be in active use, VBC cannot be used. Condition: Good Adaptability: Average. Although there are some issues, it is reasonable to suggest that the building would be suitable for conversion. Bell Mill Other Planning Constraints Trees: There appears to be no TPOs on the site. Ecology: The site is adjacent to a priority habitat.